Water heaters can provide for the heating and storage of water to be used in, e.g., a residential or commercial structure. A heat source is provided for raising the temperature of water in a water tank. The heat energy may be supplied e.g., by gas burners, electrically-resistant coils, or a heat pump using a refrigerant cycle. Typically, the water tank is surrounded by a wrapper and is insulated to allow storage of the heated water until use. However, a significant heat loss can also occur through the bottom of the tank, where insulation may not be installed and where contact may be made directly with, e.g., the ground, a concrete floor, or other surface that can conduct heat away from the tank.
A water heater is generally provided with an inlet for receipt of unheated water and with an outlet for delivery of heated water. During installation, the inlet and outlet are connected with, e.g., the piping system of a residential or commercial structure. Depending upon the location of the inlet and outlet connections on the water heater, additional piping and/or modifications to the existing piping system may be necessary for both original installations as well as replacement installations to connect with such piping system. Further, because the locations of the inlet and outlet may vary between different water heaters of the same capacity, particularly when provided by different manufacturers, each installation can require different materials and configurations customized to such installation—thereby increasing the costs of the installation. Thus, a standardized tank position is desirable.
Typically, a plastic ring is provided to space the tank from a bottom cover and act as a thermal break, and a foam ring is provided to keep the tank centered in the bottom cover and to keep insulation, such as, e.g., a foamed-in insulation, from intruding under the tank. Requiring a ring as a thermal break and a separate ring as a centering element to standardize the tank position adds extra manufacturing cost to the water heater, such as added costs to make and assemble the water heater with a second ring.
Accordingly, a water heater having one or more features that help insulate and center the water tank would be useful. A centering ring for a water heater having one or more features for insulating and centering the water tank would also be beneficial.